Oil purifier and gas separator for internal-combustion engines



June 25, 1929.

. 1. G.- REA OIL PURIFIER AND GAS SEPARATOR FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed May 1'7, 1926 INVENTOR John G-Rcw BY WWW 2% ATTORNEYS Patented June 25, 1929.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. REA, UNION CITY, NEW JERSEY.

OIL PURIFIER AND GAS SEPARATOR FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENG-IN Application filed May 17, 1926. Serial No. 109,770.

The present invention is concerned with an attachment for internal combustion engines which will serve to subject the crank case oil to a continuous process of filtration and purification, which will separate gasolene from the crank case oil by a continuous proc ess of recirculation and distillation, and which will in a large measure prevent the gasolene Whichpasses the piston rings from in mixing with the oil in the crank case.

Another object of the invention is to provide an oil purifying and gas separating system by which the gasolene escaping past the piston rings will be returned to the carburetor M or the intake manifold of the engine, and a material economy of fuel will be effected.

A further object of the invention is to pass, not only gasolene, but other volatile vapors from the crank case into the car 2 buretor or manifold, thereby materially aiding in the lubrication of the pistons and valve stems. Such vapors are ordinarily lost through the breather tube, but with the device of the present invention, the breather tube may be. sealed to retain all such vapors, and

incidentally will maintain the engine muchcleaner due to the fact that the escaping vapors from the breather tube will not condense on the engine head. 7

Further objects ofthew, invention are to provide an oil purifying and gas separating a paratus of the general character noted a ove, which may be conveniently attached to any standard make of internal combustion engine, which will be of simple, practical construction, which will be rugged, durable and efficient in use, which may be readily disassembled for purposes of cleaning or repair, which eliminates the use of all comi 4 plicated valve mechanism, float mechanism,

and other moving. mechanical parts likely to become inoperative and clog the system, and an apparatus which may be installed with comparative economy.

With the above notedand other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel.

features of construction and combinations and arrangementsjof parts, as will be more fully hereinafter set forth and pointed out w in the claims. The invention may be more fully 'understood'from the following description in connection" with the accompanying drawings, where1n Fi 1 is a view in front elevation of an intern'a combustion engine with oil purifying and gas separating apparatus of the present Invention associated therewith, the front end of the crank case being broken away to expose the vent at the rear end thereof. V

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional detail through the oil distilling and filtering. chambers and their associated parts. i

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional detail on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings I have indicated somewhat diagrammatically, an internal combus tion engine 10. The crank case of the engine 18 represented at 11, the intake manifold at 12, the exhaust manifold at 13, oil filling pipe at 14, and the carburetor at 15. The particular location or arrangement of the conventional parts of the engine listed above is of course subject to a wide range of variation.

I, having elected to show the device of the rating chamber 17 herein illustrated as of elongated cylindrical shape, although the parti cular shape of the chamber may be considerably varied. It is desirable that the chamber be of a relatively large capacity; that is to say, capable of accommodating about a pint or more of oil. Suspended below the chem ber 17 in a sling 18 is a cup 19 which serves as an oil filtering chamber. A pipe 20 connected to the oil pump line enters the upper end of the chamber 17 and delivers oil under p'ump pressure to a pipe 21 which terminates adjacentthe bottom of the cup 19 beneath a screen 22 therein. Screen 22 may be conveniently rigid or integral with an upstanding sleeve 23 encircling the pipe 21. At the top 95 of the cup 19 there is a second screen 24 clamped betwen the upper end of the cup, and a seat, 25 in the bottom of the chamber 17. The space between thetwo screens 22 and 24 is filled with a packing of filtermaterial 26. The cup 19 is retained in proper position by a clamping screw 27 working through the bottom-of the sling, and when thecup is removed, sleeve 23 facilitates the" manual bodily .removal of the fi' ter material, andthe ready re- 105 The top of the chamber 17 communicates with a pipe 28 which as shown, extends across the top of the engine and enters the intake manifold 12. This pipe near its connection with the chamber 17 is provided with a suitable regulating valve 29. The pipe 28 is a recirculationpipe for gasolene distilled in the chamber 17, or crank case Vapors passing through the chamber 17 from thecrank case, as-will be later described. y

Connected at one end of the chamber 17 is an inclined pipe 30 which serves as a gravity return pipe for filtered crank case oil. This return pipe may enter the crank case at any suitable point, but for the sake of convenlence I have shown it as enterin the oil filling pipe 14. The pipe 30 is of relatively large cross section, so that there may be a continuous gravitational downflow of oil from the distilling chamber 17, and a continuous upflow above the oil of crank case vapors, such vapors being carried along by a cooling breeze through the crank case from the vent opening 31 in the rear end thereof, or at a point well removed from the pipe 30.

Low manifold pressures are transmitted through the pipe 28 to the upper portion of the distilling chamber 17 and serve to maintain a continuous breeze or draft through the crank case and up the pipe 30.

The operation of the device is substantially as follows. Oil under pressure from the oil circulating pipe to the engine is delivered through the pipes '20 and 21 into the bottom of the cup -19, from whence it is forced upwardly through the filtering materlal 26 into the distilling chamber 17. Chamber 17 is maintained relatively hot due to the fact that it is arranged closely adjacent the hot exhaust manifold 13. 'Any gasolenewhich may have been carried along with the crank case 011 will be distilled off in the chamber 17, and will pass through the pipe 28 to the intake manifold. The oil which reaches the distill- 'ing chamber .17 will be free from foreign particles, such for instance as carbon, these particles being removed by the filter material. Thefiltered oil will gravltationally flow down the pipe 30 through the oil intake pipe 14 and back to the crank case.

Preferably the oil intake pipe is sealed by a ca 14", instead of providing the usual breat er opening. The breather opening bemg in the present instance arranged at a point remote from the connection of the FIPG 30 with the crank case, will cause a dra t of air to pass from end to end of the crank case, this draft collecting crank case vapors and carrying them along up the pipe 30 through the distilling chamber 17 and through the pipe 28 to the manifold.

It is frequently desirable that the manifold suction be utilized for operating a windshield cleaner or-for some similar purdraft through the crank case and up the pipe 30 may be accurately regulated.

As noted above, the waddin or filter material at 26 may be convenient y replaced by the simple expedient of removing the cup.

.19, and the upper screen 24.

Due to the draft of air through the crank case, most of the gasolene which asses the piston rings, will not become mixe with the oil in the crank case, but while in a vaporous condition will be swept along with the air current and returned to the intake manifold. The crank case vapors which are ordinarily lost through the breather tube will in the present instance be carried into the intake manifold, and'aid materially in the lubrication of pistons and valve stems. Due to the fact that practically all of the gasolene which escapes past the pistons is trapped and reused, and due to the further fact that additional highly volatile portions of the crank case oil will be distilled and passed to the intake manifold, the a paratus of the present invention considerably adds to the pliliaage obtainable on a given amount of In order to observe the rate of flow of oil fromthe distilling chamber back to the crank case, the cap 14: of the oil filling pipe 14 may be removed, and a visible indication of the rate of flow will be afforded. All of the oil in the system will be kept sufficiently hot to act efliciently as a lubricator, and when the engine is started, the process of heating the oil to effect proper lubrication will be greatly e edited.

Obvious y various changes and alterations might be made in the general form and arrangement of part described without departing from the invention. Hence I do not wish to limit myself to the details set forth, but shall consider In self at liberty to make such changes and a terations as fairly fall 'within the spirit and scope of the appended chamber adjustably supports the detachable case for delivering vapors to said first named well in operative relationship a to the pipe, means for introducing oil from the 1 chamber. I crank case into the chamber, and means con- 3. In an oil purifier for internal combus necting said chamber with said second- \5 tion engines having an air intake, a chamnamed pipe for passing filtered oil through her, a pipe leading to said air intake from said pipe in the opposite direction to the said chamber for drawing vapors there.- movement of the vapors from the crank case. from, a pipe communicating with the crank JOHN Gr. REA. 

